B.P.R.D. Vol. 10: The Warning TPB

I read a lot of comics. I don't post reviews of all of them, and for some reason whenever I read a new B.P.R.D. book - I want to talk about it. I don't want to give away much, but I want to share that this is the type of book I feel lots of people would enjoy. And B.P.R.D. volume 10, The Warning, is no exception.

And this newest story is another wonderful addition to the B.P.R.D. library. As Abe [Sapian], [Johann] Kraus, and friends figure out that the plague of frogs has returned in a new and frightening way, they are on the hunt to find Liz Sherman, who has been kidnapped by a mysterious gentleman from her dreams.

Other ancient enemies surface as well, and this series continues to include solid storytelling and crisp characters throughout. With each adventure, I care about the them more and more, and want to follow them on their bizarre journeys.

Also, the end of the story hints at connections from one of my favorite characters from this series, Lobster Johnson, so I wait in eager anticipation to see where the next story takes me.

Lastly, I thought it worth mentioning the superb storytelling by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I've come to love the artwork by Guy Davis. Not only are his interpretations of the main characters moody and atmospheric but everything from military vehicles, to gigantic machine/beasts, to all the backgrounds and scenery come to life and I simply get lost in the pages.

Kudos to the good folks at Dark Horse for including the sketchbook in the back, with notes by the various creators. It really adds a bit of creative insight to the process. I don't have anything bad to say. I guess my only hesitation would be for new readers of the series to come in at this point, as it would be best to start at volume 1, and it might be difficult to pick up on all the nuances if coming in cold. That being said, many adventures await...

Comic Book Review of B.P.R.D. 1946 (Volume 9) tpb

This may be the darkest of the B.P.R.D. (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) books to date. And that is saying a lot.

But, man was it good. As I’ve mentioned before, the BPRD books have continued to impress and sustain, taking place in the Hellboy-spawned world many of us have come to love.When I saw the name of this newest storyline, 1946, I tried to be patient and wait for the trade. I’m not a total trade paperback convert (I still buy approximately 50% of my comics in floppy issues and 50% in trades. It’s part of my past struggling with the newer me who likes the trades crammed in my book shelves for easy access, loaning, and re-reading.

Since I own all of the other BPRD books in trade format, I needed to continue in this way, although I felt the urge to buy the floppies, as they called out to me each month from the comic shop racks.

Then there is the heavy-WW II angle in this book, which I like just fine. Remember, Hellboy was discovered in 1944 by the Allies, right before the end of the war. I really think Mignola & Dysart hit this one out of the park, picking up immediately after the war, in Berlin, with both the occupying American forces and Russian forces vieing for discovery and access to all the secret nazi occult experiments (one of which in ‘44 Hellboy was a result of, himself).

Professor Trevor Bruttenholm (who rescued Hellboy and founded the BPRD) and his assistant Dr. Howard Eaton are sent on special assignment into Berlin to uncover what remained of the Nazi regime’s special occult division. Their reputations preceded them, already infamous in U.S. military circles, due to their involvement in the rescue of one little red guy in '44.

The book gets really weird when Bruttenholm is forced to collaborate with the Soviet allies, headed up by the scariest creature in recent BPRD memory… al little girl with pictails. That’s right, the head of the Russian paranormal unit is an ancient demon in the guise of a little girl in a white dress with a dolly. Talk about creepy. And it bothers me how this doesn’t bother any of the other characters too much. It’s just freaky, scary and wrong. At one point, she tells the story of her origin and reveals herself to a lower level inquiring demon and we see what’s really behind the Russian-accented little darling. Scary.

What is uncovered in the main storyline was a Nazi secret plan to build an army of vampire super soldiers, but the experiments went horribly wrong, and the test subjects become the cause of poor Professor B. And the more he uncovers, the worse the situation gets.

This peculiar story is illustrated by Paul Azaceta with colors by Nick Filardi – and their work shines albeit, darkly. In every shadow lurks a haunted spirit, and every character’s expression has a murky, textured shading that gives the panels a nostalgic feel – perfect for a vampire story taking place in 1946. Even in the depiction of the unit of ragtag soldiers assigned to assist Prof. Bruttenholm, I can see great attention to detail was given to creating individuality amongst the men. This can also be seen in the sketchbook notes by Mignola and Azaceta in the back of the trade.

By the way, the back of the trade has a few neat extras such as a letter from writer Joshua Dysart about his pitch to Mignola, a short BPRD story from Free Comic Book Day, and the aforementioned sketchbook with notes. Not bad.

I am always entertained when reading this series and have been happy with each trade paperback purchase. Not knowing where each story is going to go, BPRD always leads to an excited bit of surprise, and often the trip leads down alleys to the past, buried in dark evil secrets. It's always an adventure. And B.P.R.D. 1946 ends with enough doors open to allow that evil to creep back in at some point in the future…

Review of Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus

I just finished reading, LOBSTER JOHNSON: The Iron Prometheus , the trade paperback that I picked up last week at the comic shop. Ever since my best buddy Joe G. got me hooked on Hellboy many years ago, I've come back for more. In the last few years I've devowered every B.P.R.D. (that's the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense) story, which are all set in the samer errie world as Hellboy and I've waited patiently for the return of my favorite pulp character - Lobster Johnson. [Yes, that is my Lobster Johnson heroclix in the photo].

In Iron Prometheus, we follow Lobster on the trail of evildoers in 1937 New York and New Jersey. There are mad scientists, the beginnings of the Nazi regime, and a powerful metallic suit energized by a mysterious force. Only Lobster Johnson and his team can help an average Joe find the girl and evade the darkest evil.

I think that the Hellboy series spin-offs like B.P.R.D. and this book focusing on Lobster Johnson are some of the best kept secrets in comics. The stories are so good and include exciting bits of myth, folklore, gothic horror and everything else that makes for good scary reading. I can't get enough of them.

Now if I could only find the time to play heroclix. That's another post. Although it was fun sifting through them, as I tried to find Lobster to make a cameo in this post photo. I think I need to get out of this room. It's been a long day.